Extended Life During the Pandemic
So this has lasted a bit longer than I expected. A lot longer, actually. I thought perhaps by the end of April, this would all be over. Boy, was I wrong!
My heart truly goes out to all the families that the pandemic has affected, whether it be economically, emotionally, or physically. It really struck a chord with me when I found out that a former coworker lost her grandpa to COVID-19, and someone my wife knows tested positive. It definitely puts it into a different perspective when someone you know is affected. It makes it even more real.
So what have I been up to during the month of April? It's definitely been a weird month. I've decided not to do any online magic shows. I know some people could argue "you're a magician and mentalist, what difference does it make?". I base a good chunk of my performances on playing off of crowd reactions, and talking to people in the audience. If I'm just talking to a silent computer screen, there isn't much I can play off of. I'd rather just wait out the pandemic and eventually get back to my normal style of performing.
I've gotten pretty good at Fortnite. I even won a team battle with 10-year-olds. How did I know their ages, you ask? They were calling our opponents "poop heads" through their headsets. The sad thing is that these kids played much better than I did!
We really haven't left the house, aside from the occasional scenic drive and walk in a park. We usually stock up on meat and pantry items to begin with, so we just bought a little extra to last us a few additional weeks. We're trying to keep the social distancing thing as our top priority, out of respect for the health care workers. I saw that Michigan had some pretty intense protests about the stay-at-home order. I'm thankful that here in Texas, we were still able to drive around. From what I understand, even driving anywhere without an essential purpose was not allowed. I can't say that I would have participated in a protest like that, but then again I haven't walked in their shoes. I just hope the protesters don't end up sick. My wife's family is from Michigan, but thankfully they are still able to conduct a small amount of essential work with their steel fabrication business.
I've also been ramping up my magic and mentalism, to get ready for when business is booming again. Being a Dallas magician and mentalist, I know that business will return to (a somewhat) normal eventually. People will be ready to celebrate again. People will be bursting at the seams just to give a friend a hug again. People will be longing to be entertained again, and I'll be there to provide quality corporate entertainment! There does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm beginning to see inquiries for July, August, and September. That's definitely a good sign that people are ready to party again. I'm really looking forward to the blossoming 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020. I'd rather not think about the nightmarish 2nd quarter! Like any other recession our economy has experienced, we'll always bounce back. The good times wouldn't feel so good if we didn't have theban times to compare them to. So I'm taking this time to be thankful for the great business I've been able to build, and I just look forward to the great times ahead.
Here's to another few weeks of quarantine. I've got plenty of things here at home to entertain myself, so you won't be seeing me on the streets anytime soon!
Best,